Ergovie launches a smart wheelchair

After 5 years of R&D with Insa Rennes, Ergovie (Plérin and Rennes, 22 employees, turnover 2016: €3 million) has launched the world’s first motorised and smart wheelchair. Dubbed Feego, it can detect obstacles and avoid them. The system facilitates electric wheelchair driving for people with cognitive, physical or visual disabilities.

Industrial production will be performed by AIM (Lannion) and Feego will be marketed on a BtoC basis with the support of prescribers in the disability sector, first in France and then rapidly in Europe among wheelchair manufacturers who can offer the module as an option. The founder, L. Le Pape, wants to work with distributors and manufacturers in order to expand distribution.

In parallel, he is also working with Télécom Bretagne on the regional Prisme programme that aims to connect the smart wheelchair to the hospital bed to facilitate transfers between one and the other. The SME is a partner in the European Interreg collaboration project between France and England to develop a virtual reality wheelchair simulator and is also planning to work on the European collaboration project Adapt, again in the wheelchair area.